Hydra
by SynthaRoboto
Summary: No summary as of now. M for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Shiti, also known as "that shitty region next to Unova", among other names, all of which evoke unpleasant imagery of sprawling ghettos and trailer parks galore. Though the Shiti region did have its problems, for the most part, it was much like any other region. However, these things don't come into play until later.

This story starts when a young girl was walking, or rather, running, home from school.

Dani, a Preschooler at the time, ran into the alley behind the Pokémon daycare as it was a shortcut to her house. She knew she wasn't supposed to take the alley, but it was pouring buckets outside and she wanted nothing more than to get inside and change out of her soaking wet clothes.

"I'm not stopping for anything 'til I'm out of this rain!"

The instant that she said those words, she spotted a shivering black and blue mass huddled in the grass. It looked so completely out of place that it caught the child off guard, and as Dani did a double take, she tripped over an exposed tree root and fell flat on her face in a puddle of mud.

"AARGH!" Dani shrieked in frustration, pushing herself up to her knees. She was mere feet away from the thing that had caught her complete attention a moment earlier. She could see that it was a Pokémon, that much she could tell. She let out a gasp as the creature raised its head and sniffed the air cautiously.

"Dani! You okay?" another small girl ran towards the now muddied preschooler. She slowed to a stop as she approached her friend and saw what she was staring at.

"Aurora," Dani said in an excited half-whisper, "that's a _Deino_!"

"But we don't have any Pokéballs," Aurora replied glumly.

"We don't need one," Dani said as she reached her hand out to the trembling creature. "Come here little one," she cooed, letting the Deino sniff her hand before gently stroking its fur.

Aurora gazed sadly at the fence that divided the alley from the daycare. Both girls knew that there were trainers and breeders who abandoned unwanted Pokémon on a regular basis. The hatchling Deino couldn't have been more than a few hours old and had most likely been cruelly dumped due to having been hatched a runt.

"Gotcha!" Dani said as she lifted the unusually small Pokémon and held it out in front of her. "I caught a Deino! Though it is just a baby, one day I'll have a Hydreigon!" she squealed.

The Deino cocked its head and made an inquisitive grumble.

"Pfft, you want that no good little squirt?" an older boy said, chucking a Pokéball at the girls' feet. "Take it. That Deino has zero potential to be a good battler," he sneered.

Dani's face turned beet red in anger. "You're gonna regret that when this Deino grows into a big strong Hydreigon, you—you—jerk waffle!" she shouted. The boy, however, simply ignored her and walked away.

"Ignore that big stupid jerk! I mean it when I say you'll be a Hydreigon one day!" Dani held the baby dragon close to her chest. "Hydra. I'll call you Hydra and we'll be partners 'til the end," she said softly.


	2. Chapter 2

The tiny Deino that was found behind the daycare did indeed grow big and strong. Hydra quickly gained a multitude of teammates, some of which she was close friends with, others…not so much.

Hydra's time as a bickering Zweilous were short-lived, thankfully. Dani, however had been preparing for this moment for years. "It's OK girl," she said, kneeling next to the shivering, sparkling Zweilous. "You're gonna see me for the very first time! Isn't that exciting?"

One head gave a nod, the other looked fearful.

"You're gonna see lots of things," Dani said reassuringly. "Nothing is gonna harm you! And you're gonna be really powerful!"

Dani knew that Hydreigons tend to panic upon first evolving, partially because they've lived their entire lives up to this point completely blind.

"It's alright, it's me, your trainer. The one who found you." She walked slowly towards her newly evolved Pokémon, holding her hands out towards the fearsome dragon. "It's OK," she said as she wrapped her arms around the Hydreigon's neck, stroking the black fur with her fingers. "I'm so proud of you, Hydra."

Ash Ketchum had run into Dani, and for that matter, Hydra, on a warm summer's day. Since his never-ending journey had brought him to the Shiti region, he was travelling with Clemont and Bonnie from Kalos, as they were also visiting the region, along with Iris from Unova. Enthusiastic and exuberant as always, Ash was rushing ahead of the others, happily shouting how he wanted to meet new people and Pokémon.

"Look, Ash, here comes someone right now!" said Clemont.

Lo and behold, a lanky young girl was running full speed straight at them. "Hi there, I'm A—"

Ash was cut off by the girl. "HYDRA!" she shouted, looking frantically at the surrounding trees.

"Is there something wrong?" Iris asked, concerned.

"Have you seen my Hydreigon? She wandered off again!" the girl said, once again frantically looking around.

"Your _Hydreigon_ wandered _off_?!" Iris sounded as if she'd been personally affronted. After all, she had been raised around dragon types. Being a Unova native, she was quite aware of the fact that certain Pokémon can be incredibly dangerous. "You have a Hydreigon, and—it's done this before?!"

Iris would have continued with quite a rant had it not been for Bonnie's ear-piercing scream. Everyone ran towards where the scream had come from, only to find Bonnie cowering on the ground as a Hydreigon sniffed at her.

"Don't eat me!" Bonnie squeaked as the dragon nudged her arms.

"Hydra!" the girl from [route] exclaimed. The Hydreigon turned all three heads towards the familiar voice.

"Wow, that's your Pokémon?" Ash said in awe.

"Yep," the girl said with more than a hint of pride. "This is my partner, Hydra. I'm Dani, by the way."

"You're really friendly, aren't you?" Iris said, stepping forward to take a closer look at the dragon. "I was worried at first when you told me a Hydreigon was on the loose, but this one seems really docile…" Iris trailed off as she looked the Hydreigon in the face, reaching out to pet her neck. Iris then turned to Dani and said, "You did an amazing job raising her!"

Dani looked at Iris as if she'd sprouted an extra head. "Tch, I wish more people could see that. People around here don't like dangerous Pokémon," she said, using air quotes for the last two words.

"Dangerous Pokémon?" Ash parroted.

"You know, powerful ones. Pokémon with a bad reputation. Dragon and Dark types especially," Dani said, giving her Hydreigon a pointed look. Hydra let out a grumble in response and slightly hung all three heads.

Dani went to Hydra, running her fingers through the black fur around her torso. "It's not safe for you to wander off without your trainer here," she said with a sigh.

At that, the other trainers all looked shocked and alarmed.

"If it's not safe for a _Hydreigon_ to be here—" Clemont gulped, looking visibly shaken.

"We're fine," Dani said, abruptly cutting him off. "Poachers don't go after trainers or their Pokémon."

"Poachers?!" Iris exclaimed.

"Yeah, but not like you'd expect. It's like someone's been paying them to kill off certain Pokémon," said Dani.

There was a moment of silence as Ash, Bonnie, Clemont and Iris all stared in utter shock at what she had just said. The first trainer they had met in this region had just dropped a massive bomb on them all, so to speak.

"Kill…? Pokémon…?" Bonnie squeaked out in dismay.

Dani shook her head. "Some people are sick," she said, turning away.

"Excuse me, but since you're from this area, could you maybe show us around a bit?" Clemont asked awkwardly.

"I'm not a tour guide, y'know," Dani said with a smirk.

Before another word could be uttered, James darted past, snatching Pikachu from Ash's shoulder while shouting "YOINK!"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Dani said as she watched James, who appeared to be wearing an insulated suit and gloves, darted several yards away from them then stopped. As he stopped, Jessie joined him, along with Meowth, and launched into their motto:

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"You dumbfucks are in triple trouble! Hydra, Outrage!" Dani yelled.

"Don't interrupt our motto!" Jessie shrieked angrily.

"I think we gots bigger problems than that!" Meowth said fearfully.

The next thing the three failed villains saw was a royally ticked off Hydreigon rushing at them before unleashing a massive can of whoop-ass on all three of them. Pikachu remained unharmed in the attack, as Hydra had no intention of attacking the little electric mouse. Rather, she somewhat gleefully jumped at the chance to beat the ever-loving crap out of those brazen, thieving idiots.

"Whoa, way to go, Dani!" Ash said upon picking Pikachu back up.

"Who _were_ those people?" Dani asked incredulously.

"Ash's stalkers," Iris said jokingly.

"Well you're not wrong," Ash muttered. "That was Team Rocket…well, two members of Team Rocket, anyway…"

"I thought Team Rocket was more…uh, competent," said Dani.

"Not those two," Ash said with a chuckle.

With that, Ash and his friends continued on their journey, and Dani returned home. She had considered joining the group of trainers, but decided to think about it a bit first.


	3. Chapter 3

It hadn't been but a few days since Dani had met those trainers after Hydra had given one of them a scare. They all had seemed so naïve, completely unaware of the unique dangers present in the region they were visiting.

None of this had left Dani's mind after the encounter. _Why would anyone in their right mind visit this part of the Shiti region?_ She kept thinking to herself. The fact that all of the foreign trainers she had met were children and young teenagers also nagged at the back of her mind. Sure, she wasn't more than 2 or 3 years older than the oldest-looking boy, but she knew the area well…along with which areas to avoid.

Finally, Dani decided that she would find that group of trainers and meet up with them again, perhaps even travel with them. If nothing else, to keep them out of trouble. However, Hydra was incredibly enthusiastic about going on another journey, so that cemented Dani's decision to find them.

Dani's first destination was the Pokémon center, as she needed to stock up on items before venturing out. Also, Nurse Joy would most likely have seen the group of trainers she was looking for.

As she walked in the door, Dani was greeted by Nurse Joy:

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center—would you please put that Hydreigon in its Pokéball?!"

"Ughhhh…" Dani groaned in annoyance. She narrowed her eyes at Nurse Joy, noticing that other trainers had their Pokémon out of their Pokéballs. "You know what? Fuck you." Dani said bluntly.

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone stared at her.

"If this kid can have her Clefairy out—" Dani said, pointing her finger at a little girl. "And this guy can have his goddamn _Scolipede_ out—" she pointed at a heavyset boy, "then I can have my _friendly_ Hydreigon out as well!"

After another moment of stunned silence, Dani spoke again: "Now, if you'd stop being a flaming hypocrite, I was just going to ask if you'd seen a group of trainers not from this region."

For a moment, Nurse Joy stammered a bit, utterly flabbergasted by Dani's sudden outburst. Regaining her composure, she said: "A boy from Kanto, with a Pikachu? Accompanied by three others?"

"Yeah, that's them. Y'know where they went?" Dani asked.

"They were headed for Illeville, though I can't imagine why." Nurse Joy replied.

Dani swore under her breath. Illeville was a rather large city with more than a few unsavory neighborhoods, and anyone who didn't know their way around could easily find themselves in a bad situation. She walked over to the mini mart inside the Pokémon center, buying quite a lot of healing items along with her usual supply of ultra balls.

After she had left the Pokémon center, Dani looked towards the long road that led to Illeville and said, "I am not walking all the way there."

Hydra moved towards her trainer, hovering behind her and placing her "arms" underneath Dani's.

"Would you?" Dani said plaintively, craning her neck to look at her Pokémon. As Hydra gave a little nod and shake in response, Dani thought she heard a voice say, "I'd be happy to!" The next thing she knew, Hydra had her in a gentle yet secure embrace as she lifted off the ground, rising into the air quickly. Dani spread her arms out as Hydra flew faster, soaring over the trees until they reached a more developed area.

Much to Dani's relief, she quickly found the group of trainers she was looking for.

"Hey, it's Dani!" Clemont exclaimed.

"And Hydra!" Iris chimed in.

"Hey! I didn't think you were gonna join us!" Ash said happily.

"Actually, I was gonna ask all of you why you're visiting this region. You do know this is 'that shitty region behind Unova', right?" said Dani.

Clemont and Iris flushed a bright pink upon hearing that, while Ash and Bonnie remained oblivious.

"That's a…colorful vocabulary you've got there but uh…could you please not use those words in front of my little sister?" Clemont asked politely.

At that, Dani guffawed.

"What's so funny?!" Clemont demanded, looking irritated.

Dani continued chuckling for another few seconds before regaining her composure enough to speak. "You mean to tell me, you're visiting the Shiti region—and you can't even handle someone making a _shitty_ pun?" She erupted into laughter once more before saying: "_Boy_, if you can't handle the shit-word, your ears will bleed once you hear the locals talk!"

After a minute or so, Dani had finally stopped laughing at the absurdity of what had just been said. "Alright, seriously. Why are you all here? Hodgepodge group of trainers from different regions coming to the one region everyone else avoids. What gives?"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Professor Oak wants me to make sure that a relative of his is OK, because he hasn't heard from him in a while. He also wants to know more about regional variant Pokémon, and this is one of the few regions that has them."

"Well, that makes sense, except for sending such a young trainer," Dani muttered to herself.

"Hey!" Ash said, looking offended at the remark about his age.

"I'm here with my little sister because Professor Sycamore is worried about the sudden drops in the populations of Dark and Dragon type Pokémon in the region—hey, you told us about that as well!" Clemont said.

"And I'm here because the Village Elder is concerned about the same thing," said Iris.

"Well, if that's the case, then I'll gladly join you. Besides, someone's gotta keep your asses outta trouble," Dani said with a grin.

"Great! Now if I may ask, do you know where the populations of these Pokémon are being most affected?" said Clemont.

Dani nodded. "Yeah, the mountainous area that's north from here. That's where there's been the most hunting and poaching going on," she said.

"I guess that's where we're headed," Ash said with a shrug.

"It's dangerous as all hell, I'm warning you," said Dani.

"We were born for danger!" Iris exclaimed, pumping her fist.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Dani responded.

"You're not gonna try to stop us?" said Ash.

"Nah. Besides, I wanna know why people are railing against Dark and Dragon types in the first place," Dani said, narrowing her eyes. She had a hunch that something sinister was afoot. There had been increasing hostility towards certain Pokémon in recent months, and it had already gotten to the point where people were openly supporting the hunting and even outright killing of Pokémon that would be highly respected in any other region.

"We have nothing to worry about, we've got a Hydreigon on our team," Bonnie said, petting her Dedenne's head.

"Actually, that makes it even more dangerous. Hydra's a Dark and Dragon type…and her species and its pre-evolved forms are…let's just say, not wanted around here." Said Dani.

"She's really strong though," said Ash, "I'm sure she can handle any danger we may face."

"Oh, she can," Dani said with a smirk. However, the moment they had set off, she felt an unusual, looming sensation of dread hanging in the air.


	4. Chapter 4

It was morning when the motley crew of trainers from different regions arrived at the Mellow Forest, a place where catching some of the Pokémon could get you in some serious legal trouble. As it turns out, the Shiti region was home to a unique typing, the Illicit Type. These Pokémon could not be captured in ordinary Pokéballs and required special ones that were only available on the black market. However, there were a few Pokémon that were illegal to capture, train, or breed that were not of that typing at all.

Thankfully, Dani knew the quickest way through the woods, which everyone gladly took as they did _not_ want to get in trouble with local law enforcement for, of all things, catching Pokémon.

"It was peaceful in that forest, no wonder it's called the Mellow Forest!" Ash said once they had reached the other side.

"Too peaceful…" Dani muttered.

"Come to think of it, we didn't see many Pokémon at all. We did see a few Deino though," Iris said, before letting out a squeal. "They were so adorable! Just hatchlings!"

"That's _not_ normal at all," Dani said with a grim tone.

Iris faltered at Dani's serious expression.

"Deino don't normally come down from the caves in the foothills," Dani continued, "Also, with Deino that young, there would normally be a parent Zweilous or Hydreigon nearby. There was _nothing_."

"What do you think happened?" Ash asked hesitantly.

Dani shook her head in response. "C'mon, there's a town up ahead."

The group soon arrived at a small town at the edge of the woods, with a path that led out towards the east.

"Shadow's End is down that way," Dani said, pointing to the path. Old, cracked cobblestone was partially buried in the ground, and several dead trees could be seen standing in the distance.

"Oh, that looks scary," said Bonnie.

"Sounds creepy too," said Ash.

"What's Shadow's End?" Iris asked.

"The name of that road…and the Pokémon center at the end of it," Dani replied.

"That's an odd name for a Pokémon center," Clemont remarked.

"It's not a regular Pokémon center," said Dani. The others looked at her in surprise. Dani continued: "It's for Pokémon in really, _really_ bad shape. Ones that regular Pokémon centers can't treat."

The group decided to stop at the Pokémon center in the nearby town rather than the one at Shadow's End. So as to avoid any unwanted confrontation, Dani returned Hydra to her Pokéball. They had almost reached the Pokémon center when they saw something rather unusual.

Up ahead, a small group of what looked like exterminators with _guns_ were walking down the road, posting signs on every light post and building they passed. The group of oddly dressed people walked past, stapling a sign onto a nearby utility pole.

Iris went to take a closer look at the sign, and once she did, her face turned red with anger. She ripped the sign from the pole and shouted: "Hey, what's the meaning of this?!"

The group of "exterminators" stopped and turned around. "We're just warning people about dangerous Pokémon that have been coming down from the mountains," one of them said.

"Dangerous Pokémon?!" Iris blurted out.

"Yes, dangerous Pokémon. Deino can be incredibly dangerous if provoked," one of the men said.

"After all, Deino are essentially baby Hydreigon…and Hydreigon is a vicious, vile Pokémon!" the one female in the group added.

"Tell that shit to _my_ Hydreigon, asshole!" Dani said, releasing Hydra from her Pokéball.

"Oh crap!" the second man exclaimed.

"Yikes! Let's get outta here!" the woman exclaimed, and all three of them started running away.

"Hold it!" Dani shouted. "I challenge your pussy asses to a Pokémon battle!"

The three incredibly suspicious exterminators stopped in their tracks and hesitantly walked back. With a smirk, the first man let out his Pokémon: a Klefki.

Dani grit her teeth. She _should_ call out her Houndoom, Cerberus and K.O. the Klefki with a Flamethrower. However, these people had just insulted her partner Pokémon and she was _not_ happy about that whatsoever. The smug look on the man's face was enough for Dani to make a final decision:

"Hyper beam and whatever it hits you with, I know you can handle it!"

The Klefki didn't stand a chance. Its trainer looked on in absolute horror as the little keyring hit the ground hard after being hit by Hydra's Hyper Beam. Shaking, the man recalled the now fainted Klefki. He and his two companions threw a rather excessive amount of money at Dani and Hydra then ran away as fast as they possibly could.

"What…was that all about?" Ash said, scratching the back of his head.

"I'd like to know, too." Clemont remarked.

Dani narrowed her eyes…or rather, eye, as she wore a patch over her right eye. "Exterminators posting propaganda…something's really fishy…" she muttered.

The group continued along their way. When they reached the Pokémon center, Iris asked Nurse Joy if she knew anything about the "exterminators" they had run into.

"I know of them," Nurse Joy said, shaking her head. "They openly advocate for culling of several species of Pokémon and claim that it's for everyone's safety." She shook her head again. "I know some Pokémon can be very dangerous if provoked, but killing innocent Pokémon isn't how to deal with that!"


	5. Chapter 5

After a quick checkup at the Pokémon center, the group headed into the mountainous area, as that was the habitat of the Pokémon that Iris and Clemont had come to research.

"I always wondered why most regions' professors send kids out to do their research," Dani said, shaking her head.

"Well there's an awful lot of adults who aren't doing anything," Ash said, scratching the back of his head.

Dani snorted. "You're not wrong about that," she said.

"Guys, listen," said Clemont.

Everyone stopped talking and heard…absolutely nothing.

"Don't you think it's a bit too quiet…almost as if something scared off all the Pokémon?" said Clemont.

Before anyone else could speak, a distant booming sound was heard, followed by another, louder, closer blast.

**"What was that?!"** Pikachu exclaimed.

"That sounded bad," Ash remarked.

**"I'm about to find out,"** Hydra said, launching herself high into the air.

"See anything from up there?" Dani asked.

Hydra narrowed her eyes. In the distance, she could see a dust cloud settling. She gave a curt nod and began flying at a slow and steady pace in that direction. She led her trainer, and by extension, the group she was with to an area that had a frightening number of steep ledges and cliffs.

Then, Hydra saw something alarming. Several hundred yards ahead, a couple of those oddly-suited men were gathered around a device of some sort.

"Hydra! Wait up!" Dani called out after her Pokémon. However, Hydra had flown ahead much too quickly for the trainers to catch up with her. Then, she saw that the device the men were gathered around was a detonator.

The sudden realization that her trainer may be in grave danger caused Hydra to spring into immediate action. She flew as fast as she could in the direction of the men, hoping to stop them before they could potentially kill her trainer. She had closed about half the distance between the group of trainers and the group of men when she saw on of them push the handle down.

Hydra's eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, a loud crack was heard, followed by a blinding light, and a searing pain…

For Dani, time seemed to slow down as she saw her Hydreigon get thrown violently by the blast; hitting the ground some distance away.

Dani saw Hydra hit the ground hard, skidding several yards and leaving a dark, red trail. Her pupils shrunk to tiny pinpricks as she ran faster than she ever had before towards where her partner Pokémon had fallen.

Paying no mind to Clemont, Iris, and Ash as they frantically told her to wait up and be careful, Dani sprinted along the trail until she reached the bottom of a steep ravine. Knowing that Hydra was on the ground at the top of the steep incline, she clambered up the rocky ravine.

"Hydra! I'm coming!" Dani shouted. "Please be alive," she said quietly.

"DANI! Dani come down from there it's dangerous!" Clemont shouted. He and the others looked on as a rock that Dani was trying to use to pull herself further up came loose, causing her to skid down several feet before resuming her climb with a steely, reckless determination.

"You there!" A Pokémon Ranger shouted as she walked briskly towards them. "Everyone needs to leave the area!"

"Dani's Hydreigon was injured by that blast!" said Iris.

"And she's on that dangerous ravine!" said Bonnie.

The Pokémon ranger turned and saw Dani, who had nearly reached the top of the ravine. Immediately, she pulled out her radio. "Headquarters this is Ranger Jasmyn. We're going to need a rescue team…"

Finally, Dani pulled herself to the top of the ravine. Now on flat ground, she stood up. The moment she got to her feet; the sight that assaulted her eyes nearly made her fall to her knees. Several yards ahead, Hydra lay in a heap on the ground, horrifically injured. Scattered on the ground were bits of her wings, and the almost splattered remains of one of her auxiliary heads. Despite all this, and the fact that she was bleeding badly, Hydra was still clinging to life.

Dani rushed forward as fast as she could, kneeling beside her fallen Pokémon. Almost immediately, she heard the voices of Iris and Ash, along with a couple of unfamiliar voices. Looking up, she saw the group of trainers she had been travelling with, along with several Pokémon rangers, all riding on strong, flight-capable Pokémon.

Jasmyn, along with another ranger, ran towards them with a medical kit. They were followed by Iris, who had flown in on her Dragonite.

Her whole body hurt. Her trainer had rushed to her and was cradling her head. Hydra lolled her head weakly to the side, her vision fading in and out. She saw others looking on in worry, begging her to hold on.

_Is it really that bad?_ Hydra had experienced her fair share of injuries, but none of them could compare to this. She saw her teammates looking on worriedly before her vision faded to black.


	6. Chapter 6

Dani sprinted down the path that led to the Pokémon center. She had been running for quite a while now, and was exhausted, yet she didn't slow down for anything.

Shortly after Hydra had fallen unconscious, she had been airlifted to the very Pokémon center that the distraught trainer was heading towards.

"Hydra!" she shouted as she burst through the doors.

Nurse joy looked up to see the distraught girl standing there. "Are you that Hydreigon's trainer?" she said.

"Yes! Where is she?" Dani blurted out.

At that, Nurse Joy pulled her aside. Dani's heart sunk.

"I'm afraid her chances of recovery are extremely slim," Nurse Joy said, looking down. "all we can do for her would be to end her suffering," she said sadly.

"No!" Dani snapped. "I need to see her!"

"Very well," Nurse Joy said as she bowed her head, leading the young trainer into another room. There, Hydra lay on a bed, covered in blood-soaked bandages, looking utterly miserable. The Hydreigon let out a pained screech, thrashing weakly.

Dani stood there in shock for a moment upon seeing her Pokémon horrifically injured and writhing in agony. Then, she rushed over to the poor creature, gently touching the top of her main head.

"Shhh…it's ok girl…" Dani said softly. "I'm gonna take care of you…" she shot Nurse Joy a filthy look. "Even if _they_ won't."

"We can't treat injuries that severe, unfortunately. Most Pokémon centers are equipped for injuries sustained in battle, not anything like this!" Nurse Joy sounded frustrated and upset; there was no doubt that she hated not being able to help.

"What about Shadow's End?" Dani said through the tears that began to form in her eyes.

"I'll call for a transport," Nurse Joy said solemnly. As she walked back down the hallway, Hydra let out another pained cry.

Dani held Hydra's main head in a gentle embrace. She knew the poor dragon must be in unimaginable pain due to her horrific wounds. Looking over Hydra's mutilated body, Dani shook her head in dismay. All three wings on her right side had been violently torn off, leaving a gaping, gory wound. Which, despite being bandaged, was still bleeding badly. Hydra's entire right side was covered in cuts and scrapes, and her rightmost head was gone.

Even if she somehow survived, Hydra would never fully recover.

The Pokémon center at Shadow's End could, at the very least, get her pain under control. After all, they had the equipment and expertise necessary to handle cases of extreme trauma such as this.

Hydra wasn't the only Pokémon that had been injured in the series of explosions that had torn through the rocky hillsides. After she had been flown to the Pokémon Center, Ash and company were helping to find and rescue injured Pokémon. Though they were successful in helping many of the injured Pokémon they found, not all were so lucky. An entire Durant colony had been nearly wiped out by the blast, with the few badly injured survivors not expected to pull through.

"Hey guys, I think we should go back for Bonnie's sake," Clemont spoke up. His poor little sister was clinging to him, tears were in her eyes.

Bonnie shook her head, shedding a few tears. "It's not just all the hurt Pokémon, though that does make me sad…" she trailed off.

"What is it, Bonnie?" Clemont said, concern apparent in his voice.

Bonnie sniffled a bit. "Is that nice Hydreigon gonna be ok? She was hurt really bad…"

"I…I don't know, Bonnie," Clemont said sadly.

"Well, come on, why don't we find out?" Ash suggested.

Iris dejectedly followed the others as they headed toward town. Ash didn't fail to notice her unusually melancholy demeanor. "Hey, Iris?" he asked.

Iris let out a sigh. "That poor Hydreigon," she said as her eyes watered.

"Hey, Hydra's really strong. I'm sure she's gonna pull through, I know she can," Ash said, smiling. Iris couldn't help but smile in return at the boy's optimism.

Hydra let out a screeching cry as she was wheeled down a dull, sterile, grey hallway and into a room. Here she was, in yet another Pokémon center.

"**Easy there, Mistress will have something to ease the pain soon,"** a Mismagius spoke.

Hydra let out an exhausted whimper. For her, it couldn't be soon enough. The pain was unbearable.

**"There she is,"** the Mismagius spoke.

"Little pinch," a raspy sounding female voice spoke. Before Hydra could even register what was being said to her, she felt the searing sting of a needle being poked into her tail. She let out something between a growl and a yelp. However, immediately after the sting, a warm, fuzzy sensation came from the site of the needle poke, and quickly spread to her whole body. The excruciating pain was quickly fading to a dull ache.

Looking visibly relieved, Hydra turned her main head a bit and saw an older, gray-haired nurse standing over her.

"Let's get these dirty bandages changed," the gray-haired woman said. She and Mismagius began carefully removing Hydra's blood-soaked bandages.

"Well, Mismagius," the woman said. "Do you think this one has a chance?"

Mismagius looked at her trainer with an uncertain expression. Sighing, the woman got up and made an announcement on the PA:

"Snow and Doctor, report to the ICU."

Moments later, an Absol and a Mr. Mime entered the room. Immediately, the Absol shuddered.

**"What is it, Snow?" **Mismagius said, looking concerned.

**"Do whatever you can to save that Hydreigon,"** Snow pleaded to them.

**"Oh, dear…" **the Mr. Mime, said, tutting a bit.

**"Oh no,"** Snow said, turning towards the doorway. She could sense a potential disaster in the making, and more trouble was about to befall them.

"Security to the front entrance," a dull, deadpan voice came over the PA. Moments later, some crashing was heard, followed by doors slamming, and footsteps quickly approaching.

"No running! This is an intensive care unit!" the grey-haired woman said, sounding irritated with the young woman who was now standing in the doorway.

Hydra weakly lifted her main head, and her eyes widened in surprise. She let out a soft growl, the kind that meant she was happy.

"Hydra…" Dani walked over to her and dropped to her knees. "You're irreplaceable," she whispered, gently cradling the dragon's remaining head/hand.

Silently, the Mr. Mime began working on repairing the many gashes in the Hydreigon's flesh.

**"Do you think she'll pull through?"** Mismagius asked.

**"She hasn't gone into shock yet, at least."** Doctor responded.

At that moment, Hydra lifted her main head a bit and let out a series of muffled growls and snarls that roughly translated to "Wait a minute, you're the fucking doctor?!"

Doctor did an exaggerated facepalm and leaned in a cartoonish manner against her bed, giving her the most unamused look imaginable.

Hydra snorted and chuckled at that.

"Yes, he's a clown. Literally. Ha ha, funny," the grey-haired woman said in a sarcastic tone.

"What a killjoy," Dani muttered. She hadn't failed to notice the nurse's nametag, which indeed read "Nurse Killjoy". Turning her gaze back to Hydra, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Whatever drugs they had given her had made her pain all but nonexistent.

"You can get through this," Dani whispered. "It's gonna be alright…I won't leave you I promise…"


	7. Chapter 7

Ash, Iris, Clemont and Bonnie were initially headed for town, but an unexpected encounter resulted in them taking an emergency detour.

Ash had seen it stagger onto the path; a shiny Mr. Mime. Its horns were turned backwards, and it clutched its midsection as it stumbled forward a few steps, before collapsing into a heap.

Ash and Iris rushed forward upon seeing it fall. A quick glance was all that was needed to determine that it had been seriously injured.

"We need to get it to a Pokémon center quickly!" Iris said.

Ash furrowed his brow. "We'll go to the one down the hill from here," he said. Iris nodded and helped him lift the Mr. Mime. Once they had managed to get the injured Pokémon down the hill, they both stopped to catch their breath, looking at the Pokémon center ahead of them.

"Doesn't exactly look very welcoming," Iris remarked, shuddering a bit at the odd exterior. She shook her head. It didn't matter. They had an injured Pokémon that needed help and fast.

Once inside, Ash stared slack-jawed at the woman behind the counter. "You're not Nurse Joy!" he blurted out.

"Anything else you'd like to point out, Captain Obvious?" Nurse Joyless replied in her usual deadpan manner.

"This Mr. Mime is badly injured!" Ash said loudly.

"_Obviously_," Nurse Joyless replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you going to point out the obvious fact it's a shiny next?"

Ash's face turned red. "Are you gonna help it or not?!" He said.

"We'll do what we can," Nurse Joyless replied.

No more than a minute or so later, the Mr. Mime had been wheeled into another room by Nurse Killjoy and Mismagius. As they made their way down the hall, Iris couldn't help but notice a familiar figure walking a short distance in front of them. "Huh? Dani?" Iris called out to her.

Dani stopped and turned her head. "What're you guys doing here?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"We found an injured Pokémon and this Pokémon center was the closest," said Ash. He scratched the back of his head. "Wait, why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? One of my Pokémon was gravely wounded in those damn blasts," Dani said, looking at her feet.

"Hydra? She's here?" said Iris.

"Not a normal Pokémon center," Dani deadpanned. "This is Shadow's End, didn't you notice?"

"Shadow's End? You mean the place where Pokémon that don't get better go?!" Iris said a bit frantically.

"The Pokémon center in town couldn't help her," Dani said in a broken whisper.

"That's awful," said Ash.

Dani merely turned and walked away.

Iris looked at Ash and he nodded. Both of them followed Dani down the hall as she walked into the room where Hydra was lying on a bed, hooked to an unholy number of machines. Upon seeing the maimed Hydreigon lying there, covered in bandages, Ash gasped in shock.

"Hydra," Iris whispered in horror at her injuries.

"She's starting to get better," Dani said as she sat in the chair beside the bed that her partner Pokémon was confined to.

"That's good at least," Ash said quietly.

Bonnie's Dedenne hopped from its bag and onto the bed, where it proceeded to nuzzle into Hydra's chest.

"That's so sweet, Dedenne!" Iris said with a small smile.

Deep in the mountainous area that bordered the Unova region, a stern-looking, sharp dressed woman sat in a chair, legs elegantly crossed. She casually flicked the ashes from a cigarette held by a long, black straw as she turned her head slightly, looking at the man across from her. Her piercing eyes studied him carefully. He was certainly very tall. However, despite his imposing height, he was old and not in the best of health, neither mentally nor physically.

The man studied her back, this she had expected. After all, she was dealing with a lunatic, not a moron. Abruptly, the man spoke, interrupting the woman's thoughts:

"Professor Hemlock," his voice was gravelly, yet soft. "I must thank you for so graciously offering me your protection. However," he looked her in the eye, his one red eye twitching every now and then. "What is it that you expect in return?"

"You know exactly what I want, Ghetsis." Professor Hemlock stood up to her full height, which was a measly 5'1", but she carried herself as if she were a head taller than Ghetsis.

"You know good and well that my Pokémon were confiscated-" Ghetsis began.

"All but one," Professor Hemlock interrupted.

"How dare you interrupt me, you insolent-!" Ghetsis barked with a ferocity that would startle most. Professor Hemlock, however, didn't flinch. Instead, she said in a stern, commanding tone, "Sit down, King Nothing."

Snarling, Ghetsis sat back down. He took a breath to calm himself, then spoke: "Why are you so interested in my Hydreigon?"

"Excellent question. You see, your Hydreigon is a prime example of its species. Vicious, violent, brutal." Professor Hemlock replied.

Ghetsis looked at her, keeping his expression neutral. Sure, his Hydreigon was more violent than most, through no fault of its own, but it was far from being a prime example of its species behaviorally. "You want a vicious Hydreigon. Why is this?" he asked.

"To prove a point to the public. Some Pokémon are incredibly dangerous creatures." Professor Hemlock replied.

Ghetsis gestured for her to continue.

"For the safety of people and their Pokémon," Professor Hemlock straightened herself a bit. "It would be in everybody's best interest if certain…problematic species were to be culled."

"You're pulling my leg," Ghetsis said flatly. There was no way this woman actually thought the Unovan pseudo-legendary was vicious. "Do you not know that children write the Pokédex entries? Their imaginations tend to do a lot of the talking."

Professor Hemlock let out a sickening little chuckle. "My, my, you truly are insane," she said condescendingly.

Though he was getting quite aggravated with her, Ghetsis maintained his composure. "Even if you somehow succeed in brainwashing the public into believing this complete and utter nonsense, how do you think you'll get away with killing wild Pokémon in cold blood?" he asked.

"Oh, I've discovered quite the resource for that, right here in these mountains. Deep underground is—something that will be very useful for the safety of the people of Shiti," Professor Hemlock said with a slight smirk.

"I see," Ghetsis replied, then proceeded to refuse to answer any more of Professor Hemlock's questions, much to her annoyance.


	8. Chapter 8

The Pokémon center at Shadow's End had proven to be quite hospitable to the group of trainers that accompanied the girl whose Hydreigon was maimed in an explosion. Not only had the nurses allowed them to sleep in the extra beds, but they had also allowed Dani to stay by her injured Pokémon's side.

As her trainer slept soundly in a chair by her side, Hydra stirred. This woke the tiny fuzzball on her chest.

** "Hydra?"** Dedenne asked.

**"I don't understand. Who would be blowing up the side of a mountain like that?"** Hydra murmured.

**"I don't know," **Dedenne said, shaking his head.

In the city to the south by the name of Illeville, Dani's estranged brother Vincent was walking alongside a busy street. On the other side of the road, a bus abruptly stopped, opening its doors. After a brief shouting match with an unruly passenger, the driver shoved said passenger off the bus and sped away.

Vincent had stopped to see what was happening, and after the bus took off, he could see an older man stand up and dust himself off. Vincent couldn't help but notice the man was dressed rather strangely; he was wearing a rather tattered black cape that concealed most of his figure.

A young boy, no older than his mid-teens, was walking along the sidewalk. As he approached, he covered his nose dramatically. "PHWOAR! Are you a hobo? You sure smell like one!" he said.

The old man's face visibly twitched for a moment, then he shouted at the top of his voice, "How _dare_ you speak to a King like that?! Insolent brat!"

At that, everyone within earshot turned to look at the apparently crazy old man, dressed in a tattered cape and suit, waving his cane around, shouting about how he was part of some royal bloodline. Once he noticed that he had everyone's attention, he slammed his cane on the ground a couple times. "Your Pokémon will all be killed!"

This elicited several gasps from the crowd.

"I'm warning you! That woman is deceiving you all!" The man shouted.

Vincent then caught a glimpse of the left side of the man's face, and couldn't help but notice the scars, and the fact that there was no eye there. At that moment, something clicked in his mind. Glaring at the man, he shouted, "Go back to Unova, you lunatic!"

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" the man shouted back, right as a cop pulled up.

"Sir—" the cop started, only to be interrupted by a barrage of abuse by the tall, old man. The police officer rolled his eyes and radioed for backup.

Vincent watched as the old man started screaming at the top of his lungs, raging somewhat incoherently about "fools", "kings", and the general subject of killing Pokémon. There was no doubt in his mind that this was none other than Ghetsis Harmonia, the very same man who had tried to take over the neighboring region.

This was a man whom people feared.

Yet, here he was, ranting and raving in the streets like an escaped mental patient. There was little doubt in Vincent's mind that Ghetsis had likely escaped from whatever custody he had been in and made his way out of Unova.

Vincent couldn't help but pity the man as he was slammed against a police cruiser and handcuffed. Despite his tall stature, Ghetsis looked pale and gaunt. Time had certainly not been kind to him.

It was at that moment, a police officer approached Vincent. "Do you know this man?" he asked.

"Excuse me what?" Vincent said flatly.

"I heard you yell something about Unova to him?" The policeman raised an eyebrow as he asked this.

Vincent opened his mouth briefly, then immediately stopped. He knew _of_ Ghetsis, and certainly knew the man's identity. However, if he told the officer this information, the man in question would likely be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

_Which he deserves!_

_ Good Son of Arceus, he's bone thin…_

_ Fallen far, hasn't he?_

_ He won't last a year in prison._

_ He won't last a year OUT of prison._

_ He's batshit insane!_

Thoughts of this sort raced through Vincent's head at a million miles an hour. Within seconds, he had made a decision that he hoped he wouldn't end up regretting.

"Yes, officer…uh, that's my grandfather. Oh, Arceus I am so sorry for his behavior," Vincent spoke, trying to be as convincing as possible. "He has severe dementia," he added in a loud whisper.

"Well then, we're going to release him into your custody—" the officer began.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU RANDOM PEON!" Ghetsis shouted, spraying an obscene amount of spittle in front of him. "I have no grandson!"

Vincent looked the man in his one, crazy red eye. He couldn't help but notice the _severe_ nystagmus in that eye. That constant eye twitching only made him look more mentally unstable. That lone, twitching red ring betrayed a raging storm of anger, regret, fear, and sorrow.

Then, a look of understanding, followed by a slight nod. Vincent's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that. The handcuffs were taken off, and Vincent grabbed Ghetsis' wrist firmly. "C'mon _Grandpa…_" Vincent growled as he dragged the older man away from the dispersing crowd. To his surprise, Ghetsis wasn't resisting him at all. Vincent decided to loosen his grip just a bit as they walked in silence for several minutes.

"How much farther?"

Vincent stopped in his tracks, startled by the sudden utterance of words. "Oh right," he muttered, then went to sit at a nearby bus stop.

"Why did you help me?" Ghetsis asked. There wasn't a hint off hostility in his voice, yet Vincent gave him a distrustful look.

"I guess I felt bad for you," Vincent muttered half to himself. He got up, dusted off the back of his pants, and began walking home once more. Almost immediately, he noticed the sound footfalls behind him. Sighing, he turned briefly and saw that same decrepit old man walking behind him. "What?" he said.

"I…was wrong…" Ghetsis paused for a second. "I was wrong for assuming that you had ill intentions."

Vincent smirked. "And I was wrong for thinking you were _completely_ batshit insane."

Ghetsis glowered at Vincent for a moment before his face took on a mortified expression. "That missing Professor! She wants Juno for her nefarious undertaking, I must find—"

Vincent sighed as Ghetsis monologued right there beside him as they were walking down the street. "Sorry not sorry for interrupting your lunatic rant there but what in the hell are you talking about?!" he said.

Ghetsis looked incredibly offended at Vincent's statement. "Professor Hemlock, the Pokémon Professor who's been unusually secretive as of late!" He snapped.

"What about her?" Vincent asked dully.

"She's going to have Pokémon killed!" Ghetsis said, spraying spittle once more.

"Say it, don't spray it," Vincent muttered.

"I heard that." Ghetsis responded.

"So what about Professor Hemlock…murdering Pokémon…pfffft…" Vincent erupted into laughter. "THAT health and safety nut?!" he said between guffaws. As Vincent laughed, Ghetsis looked down in frustration and defeat. He had been telling the truth after all. Yet no one would believe him.

Glancing at Vincent, it occurred to Ghetsis that maybe, just maybe, he could convince him. _After all, that boy knows exactly who I am, yet he isn't intimidated in the slightest. Failed king. Failed. Failure._

"Dude."

Ghetsis snapped out of his thoughts when Vincent waved his hand rapidly in front of his face.

"You OK?" Vincent was looking at him with genuine concern. He had opened the door to his house when Ghetsis had stopped on the doorstep, staring off blankly for what had to have been a full minute. _This_ was the same man that had angered _three_ powerful Legendary Pokémon?

Vincent shook his head as he shut the door after Ghetsis had finally stepped inside.

"Hemlock had me released from the mental institution in Unova." Ghetsis spoke honestly as he took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Excuse me what?" Vincent blurted out.

"That madwoman wanted to use me for her heinous plans!" Ghetsis slammed his fist into the armrest, earning a disapproving stare from Vincent.

"There's no need for that. I'm listening," Vincent said as he too, took a seat.


	9. Chapter 9

The series of explosions up in the rocky hills had injured and maimed many wild Pokémon. Sadly, many had succumbed to the grave injuries they had received.

Both head nurses at Shadow's End, along with all their helper Pokémon, were overworked and exhausted. Due to that incident, the place was nearly at capacity.

Nurse Joyless, who was working at the front desk, noticed two people walk into the waiting area and immediately recognized them as none other than Jessie and James.

The woman, who was obviously Jessie in a professional-looking suit with her hair combed down, presented a fake ID to Nurse Joyless, claiming to be a health inspector from who-knows-where.

"Oh, cut the Bouffalant shit," Nurse Joyless cut Jessie off mid-spiel. "Honestly, how does anyone with half a functioning brain not see through your shit-tier excuses for disguises?"

This caught the attention of the group of trainers who were also in the waiting area.

"Team Rocket!" Ash said distastefully.

"Twerp?!" James exclaimed.

"If you don't have a badly injured or dying Pokémon kindly get out," Nurse Joyless said, looking mildly irritated.

"Our disguises are _not _shit-tier!" Jessie huffed indignantly.

Nurse Joyless sighed heavily as an alarm went off from somewhere in the ICU. "Nobody here has time for your massive load of Tauros crap. Pokémon are actually dying here. Now take your half-assed attempt at being criminals and go to Illeville—actually, don't. You'd get arrested."

Jessie sputtered, and managed to let out a loud harrumph before she and James stormed outside. Once they were out of view from the windows of the Pokémon center, Jessie and James erupted into cackles.

"She doesn't know we stole her keys! Now we can sneak inside and get all those rare Pokémon!" Jessie exclaimed.

Vincent had been true to his word, and he listened to Ghetsis' story without interrupting. This proved to be an incredibly tedious task as the man had a tendency of not only rambling, but also erupting into insane, nonsensical ranting. Said ranting was often shouted at the top of his voice, and Vincent was certain that his neighbors thought he must be on drugs at this point.

Though, perhaps the madman was on to something. Professor Hemlock _had_ been acting strangely. Her views had also become more extreme, though Vincent wasn't sure whether Ghetsis was telling the truth.

Later that night, Jessie and James went around the outside of the building until they came across a locked door. Jessie tried each of the keys until she found the one that unlocked the door. She and James then stepped inside, expecting to find rare Pokémon, but were instead greeted by a cold, pitch dark room.

The two buffoons stumbled around for a bit in the dark before Meowth finally found the light switch. Once the lights came on, they immediately wished they had left it off, for they were in a morgue.

Oh, there were certainly rare Pokémon to be found. A lifeless Deino lay on a cold, metal slab. An open drawer revealed the battered body of a Blaziken; undoubtedly it had belonged to a trainer at some point.

Utterly horrified, Jessie dropped the keys and all three of them ran outside and around to the other side of the building, where they promptly threw up.

"That was terrible!" James said miserably.

"Hey, come check this out," Meowth said, gesturing them over to a window which was cracked open. "It's that girl and her Hydreigon," he said.

Jessie and James both peered in the window and saw Dani, who was sleeping in a chair beside Hydra, who was looking utterly miserable. As they watched, Mismagius glided silently into the room.

**"How are you feeling?"** Mismagius asked in a soft voice.

Hydra lifted her head a bit. **"I think I'm dying,"** she said.

"Oh no," Meowth said sadly.

"What did it say?" Jessie asked.

"She said she thinks she's dyin'," Meowth said dejectedly.

**"Who's that?"** Hydra said, turning her main head towards the window.

**"Team Rocket,"** Mismagius said with a sigh. **"Please stay in bed, Hydra!"** she said as the injured Hydreigon began to move.

With quite a bit of effort, Hydra lifted her front up and let out a ferocious roar, the sound of which woke Dani and brought the nurses running.

"Easy, Hydra, I got this," Dani said as she laid the injured Pokémon back down.

"Trying to steal a critically injured Pokémon? _Real classy_," Nurse Joyless said sarcastically.

One of Dani's other Pokéballs shook violently, then out burst her Houndoom, Cerberus. The hellhound-like creature looked Meowth in the eye and said in a low, threatening growl: "You had better stay the fuck away from Hydra or else I'll burn you both so bad your bodies will be unrecognizable!"

As Jessie, James, and Meowth ran away as fast as they could so as to avoid being blasted off again, Hydra looked at Cerberus incredulously. After all, she had never quite gotten along with that particular Houndoom.

_Several years earlier…_

"**I'm only on your team because I got beaten by a certain runty little Deino!" **a Houndour glared into the face of an unusually small Deino.

**"I have a **_**name, **_**you JERK!"** the Deino stamped her little feet into the ground.

**"You're no Hydra! You're just a tiny little blind runt!"** the Houndour sneered.

Hydra growled. She could feel an immense fury building up inside her. Of _course,_ her trainer just _had_ to catch _that_ particular Houndour! **"I'm gonna be a big, strong Hydreigon one day, and you're gonna regret saying that to me!"**

Hydra and Cerberus had gotten off to a rocky start. Though he was the first of many Pokémon to join Dani's team, Cerberus was resentful of the fact that he had been beaten by a Pokémon that was at a lower level than himself.

Cerberus mellowed out some after he evolved into a Houndoom, though he still didn't particularly like Hydra. However, that all somewhat changed one day when Hydra wandered off away from her trainer. Hydra had developed a tendency to wander off at times, especially if she heard or smelled something interesting. Being blind as all Deinos are, she had no idea that there was a cliff in front of her. That is, until she stumbled right off the edge.

Hydra let out a frantic wail as she fell, however she was quickly scooped up by the mouth of another Pokémon and brought back up onto the trail.

**"What were you thinking?!"** Cerberus barked. **"Don't you ever do that again! You could've—I don't want to think of what could have happened had you hit the ground…"**

**"Cerberus?"** Hydra said meekly.

**"Look, I haven't been the best teammate, and…I've been a jerk to you, alright? But I don't want to see you hurt or killed!" **Cerberus took a breath. **"Looking back, it was a pretty stupid thing to hold a grudge over,"** he shook his head.

_Present Day…_

Though Hydra and Cerberus had long since buried the hatchet, they had never been too fond of one another, and opted to simply not bother one another so as to avoid unnecessary conflict.

**"You're not a runty little Deino. You're the strongest goddamn Hydreigon I've ever known."** Cerberus hung his head as he stepped closer to her. **"Please, be strong enough to make it through this." **

Hydra's eyes widened in surprise. **"Cerberus…?"**

**"I couldn't imagine being on a team without you,"** Cerberus blurted out.


	10. Chapter 10

Over the course of a few days, Hydra had stopped showing signs of improvement and became listless. Many tests were done, along with a series of X-rays and CT scans. It soon became apparent that Hydra needed surgery to save her life, and the operation would be a risky one.

Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie sat in the waiting area, all of them tensely fidgeting in one way or another. Beside Ash, Iris sat with her eyes fixed on her lap, looking utterly dejected. Dani was pacing up and down the hall, unable to sit or stand still.

Nurse Killjoy and Doctor were assessing the condition of the horribly injured Hydreigon that all of them had just visited.

"Dani." Nurse Killjoy's voice pierced the near silence.

The girl's heart nearly skipped a beat as she whipped her head around. Seeing the gray-haired woman motion for her to come to Hydra's room made her heart sink. As she approached, Nurse Killjoy gave a small smile. What the jaded old woman said next shocked her:

"I'd say she's got a 95% chance of surviving now."

Dani stood there for a moment, stunned. She then rushed into the room where her partner Pokémon had been since the explosion that injured her so badly. Hydra had been healing well and had regained a bit of her strength.

Seeing that Nurse Killjoy had made her way out to the waiting area already, Dani ran out there to share the good news.

"Hydra has a 5% chance—" Nurse Killjoy started.

This was met with a chorus of gasps and "oh no's" from the little group of trainers.

Nurse Killjoy cleared her throat. "A 5% chance of NOT surviving," she clarified. Just as she had uttered those words, Dani came rushing past her with a big smile plastered on her face. "She's gonna pull through!" she all but shouted.

Over the next several weeks, Hydra began to quickly recover from her wounds. She was still quite weak and couldn't properly levitate. Still, with each passing day she was able to hold her front half up more and more. Her legs had gained some strength as well; an unusual trait for a Hydreigon.

Hydra would often grow bored and wander the halls; an activity that the nurses and their helper Pokémon would encourage as it was a clear sign of recovery. It was during one of these times that she noticed a door towards the end of the hall which had always been closed before was now open. She knew a Pokémon occupied that room and had been told in passing that it was shy and nervous. Stealing a peek inside, Hydra noticed a Mr. Mime facing the window. She would have shut the door and went on her way, had she not noticed the odd coloration on the Pokémon before her.

The Mr. Mime turned and saw her; his eyes widened in surprise and fear. He certainly hadn't expected to see a Hydreigon peering into his room.

**"I won't hurt you,"** Hydra said softly. She noticed him holding a barrier with his fingers to keep her from coming too close. **"Easy there! I don't need a Dazzling Gleam to the face,"** Hydra said, noticing the mime's nervousness.

**"You're a different Hydreigon—you're not the one that came in my window—" **the Mr. Mime stammered.

**"Say what?"** Hydra said quizzically.

**"T-There was a Hydreigon—it came in the window—" **the Mr. Mime stammered.

It was then Hydra noticed that the window in the room was _broken_. She gingerly opened the door all the way, and the Mr. Mime let out a sigh of relief. **"You're a patient here—**_**whew**_**," **he said.

Hydra nodded, wiggling her wing stumps a bit. **"Yeah, I'm Hydra." **

** "Mimsy," **the Mr. Mime replied quickly.

A clattering was heard from around the corner, followed by a series of growls and grunts. Hydra immediately recognized the draconic language of her species and went to investigate. Sure enough, there was another Hydreigon there, and it had just knocked over a medication cart.

The Hydreigon in question was old, emaciated, and visibly agitated. It was rudely barging into every room, seemingly looking for someone. The reactions from the Pokémon it disturbed varied; everything from shrieks of terror to moans and groans to exclamations of annoyance and surprise were heard.

**"That's enough!"** Snow shouted as she darted past Hydra. The Absol glared at the old Hydreigon; she was far from pleased with its behavior.

The Hydreigon growled in frustration, slamming its tail into the wall, sending bits of drywall flying before breaking yet another window and flying away.

**"What a jerk!"** said Hydra.

Snow let out a sigh. **"How do I know we haven't seen the last of him…"** she muttered.

Vincent flopped onto his bed, exhausted from a long day of running errands. Thankfully, the crazy old man he had decided to let into his home hadn't caused too much trouble. His phone rang, and he picked it up, instantly recognizing the number. It was his sister.

"Oh, hey Dani, how's your journey going? I'm sure Hydra's gotten even stronger," Vincent said, only to hear a loud sigh through the speaker.

"Actually…that's why I hadn't called sooner…"

Vincent felt a lump in his throat and reflexively swallowed. Dani sounded tired, sad, and pained.

"She's alive," Dani said with a sigh.

Vincent sat bolt upright in his bed. His sister dearly loved that Hydreigon, and he could tell that something was clearly _wrong_. "Dani, what happened?" he said, concerned.

"You know about the explosions that killed and injured a bunch of Pokémon up in the Crags?" Dani asked.

Vincent's eyes widened and he let out an audible gasp. The tragic event had been all over the news in Shiti and Unova and had been spreading throughout the other regions as well.

"She was…" Dani sniffled a bit. "She was almost torn apart…she kind of was…"

"Sis…" Vincent said softly.

"She's gonna be ok kind of…she's gonna live…" Dani said in a trembling voice.

A loud _thunk_ was heard from the other room, followed by heavy footfalls. "Who are you speaking to?! Calling the police on me while you assume, I'm not listening?!"

_Oh, not now, Ghetsis!_ Vincent thought to himself.

"Vincent, is someone trying to break in the trailer?" Dani asked.

Vincent heaved a sigh as he rolled his eyes. "No, but I do have a rather _unstable_ guest," he said.

"What do you mean by 'unstable'?!" Dani demanded as she heard more loud banging.

"Unstable as in batshit insane. Hold on a sec," Vincent covered the receiver and shouted, "IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME! I'M TALKING TO MY _SISTER_! NOT THE POLICE! GOD_DAMN_!"

At that moment, Ghetsis barged into the room. Eye twitching madly, he snatched the phone from Vincent. "Who are you?!" he barked.

"Who the hell are _you_?!" Dani shot back.

"The rightful King of Unova! You have no right to arrest me!" Ghetsis all but shouted.

Peals of laughter could be heard on the other end of the line as Dani nearly fell out of her chair laughing hysterically. "King of Unova?! Pfffffft!" Dani said between chuckles. "I needed that. Whoever the hell you are, you just made my day," she said.

Ghetsis had thrown the phone down on Vincent's bed and stormed back into the other room. Vincent picked it up once more, only to hear his sister laughing at the other end. "Who _was_ that? He's funny," she said, still giggling.

Vincent smirked. "Not too many people would call Ghetsis Harmonia 'funny'," he said with a snicker.

"Excuse me _who_?!" Dani exclaimed.

Vincent rubbed the back of his head as he explained how he had run into the former Plasma leader, along with their first encounter. Dani seemed to receive the information well; if anything, she seemed more curious about him than anything.

"I…think I'll come visit once Hydra's a little better. Is it OK if I talk to him on the phone in the meantime? From what you told me he doesn't seem so bad. Definitely loony though." Dani asked him.

"Sure," Vincent responded. "Just…I know this sounds a bit strange but be nice."

"No problem," Dani said in response.

After they said their goodbyes, Vincent put his phone on the nightstand and went to bed but found it hard to sleep after the news he had just received. He remembered that a Hydreigon had been critically injured in the series of explosions at the Crags. He hadn't even thought that it could have been his sister's, but now he knew.


End file.
